The board’s unanimous Feb. 4 vote overturned a building permit issued for a fence running along a shared driveway between the historic Norman Vale home and property at 3 Norman Vale Lane.

On separate votes related to the proposal — an interpretation of the proposed use and approval of the project itself — the tally was 4 to 1, with James Zieno twice casting the dissenting vote. 

The board at its March 4 meeting unanimously approved the project as well as a variance request from the town zoning code that would require the new structures to be set back 100 feet from the single-family lots on either side of the property. 

The issue the applicant ran into was the town’s zoning code does not allow construction within the 250-foot setback to watercourses — in this case, the Bozenkill — feeding the Watervliet Reservoir. 

The 90 parking spots approved for 1671 Western Ave. are nearly triple the number of spaces the town’s zoning code allows but resolve what had become a persistent operational problem for the popular restaurant The Scene.

Altamont’s proposed tax rate for next year would rise to $2.29 per $1,000 of assessed value, up from $2.24 per $1,000 this year — a five-cent increase.

William Delanoy told the zoning board that he wasn’t looking for sympathy; he was looking for the board to act. “We’re working-class people,” he said, “and we rely on you guys to protect us.”

The problem faced by the town was one of both tight and blown deadlines.

The New Scotland Planning Board is currently reviewing two proposals for battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities in town. 

Altamont was awarded $1.1 million in funding to help improve its wastewater treatment plant on Gun Club Road, while Voorheesville received $300,000 to help pay for sewer upgrades in the Salem Hills neighborhood. The funds were secured by Congressman Paul Tonko.